Café Ella, Darlington

Yesterday I decided to go to Café Ella in Darlington for lunch. I'm inspired after reading a recent post by LottieP and admiring her lovely pictures.

I did have some pasta in the freezer at work, but someone burnt the crap out the microwave last month and it smells like an ashtray.  The thought of cooking my food in there makes me heave just a little bit. 

Ella’s has a great vibe.  From the bare concert floors, dark mismatched wooden tables and chairs, funky art on the walls and a bookcase full of books in case you’ve come unprepared and get stood up by your lunch date.  There’s a nice leafy courtyard area out the back, but it’s a little cool outside for me.

The staff here seem to know every second person that comes in. It reminds me of the old TV show Cheers, where everybody knows your name (‘cept for mine, but I’ve never really been that popular).

I’ve been to Café Ella quite a few times and from memory I’ve always ordered the same thing.  Not wanting to break with tradition I stick to my guns and once again order the Avocado Salad with Chicken ($12).

I order my salad without dressing as I think it makes me sound healthy.  The guy taking my order seems surprised by my request – a request which obviously makes me sound crazy for some reason, not healthy.  I later spot him picking up the glass dome of the cake stand that surrounds the most enormous lemon meringue pie and hoovering up all the little bits of meringue that have broken off – we give each other a knowing smirk). 

Seriously now, the salad comes with antipasto offerings like olives, artichoke and eggplant which are a little oily – and the wood fired bread has a drizzle of oil on it. I find the addition of dressing to the mix isn’t really needed.

My salad arrives and it’s overflowing with salad goodies.  The plate is filled with fancy types of lettuce, rocket, carrot, cucumber, capsicum, tomato, half an avocado, crispy chicken, warm fried eggplant that is to die for, olives, artichoke and two pieces of bread.  The antipasto really makes this salad something that I find  enjoyable to eat . The eggplant seems to be lightly crumbed and is hands down my favourite part.

The menu says this is a BIG SALAD and they are not exaggerating. I’m really struggling by the end to fit it all in and sadly a few lettuce leaves are left behind on my plate. 

Now, I didn’t have the Chocolate Cheesecake Brownie yesterday, but I’ve had it before and have drooled over it every time since.   I think this qualifies me in being able to give it a quick shout out in today’s post.

This little dessert is good….very good! The mixture of cheesecake with brownie swirled through it is a match made in heaven. In fact, if heaven had a heaven that’s where this match will be mad.

I’m hoping the BFF will come here with me soon as he loves desserts and will share this little baby with me…it’s a rich, guilty pleasure that should really be shared with a BFF. 

Café Ella is at 274 Abercrombie Street, Darlington.

Vegemite and Cheese Sausages, Gulgong Butchery

About a year ago The Boy and I packed up our city clothes and went west to visit our friend, The Cattle Baroness, who has a property just past Gulgong (which is past Mudgee, which is past Lithgow, which is WAY past Parramatta).

As our trip fell just before Christmas one of our farm chores was to go into town and pick up the Christmas ham from Gulgong Butchery. This suited me just fine as I’m totally useless at real farm work (the previous year I helpfully weeded the herb garden only to find out that I’d pulled out all the herbs and basically left the weeds…oopsie). I knew I’d be good at collecting a ham without injuring myself , others or harmless vegetation.

At the butchers shop in town The Boy and I were very excited to discover Vegemite and Cheese Sausages. Irrationally excited now that I think about it.

We knew these babies were either going to the be the most revolting thing we’ve ever imagined (although surely that award would have to go to a Brussel Sprout Sausage), or the best thing since sliced bread with Vegemite and Cheese on it.

The butcher proudly told us they were his own invention and a massive hit in Gulgong. AND they were award winning sausages! Sold to the lady from the city!

For some reason The Baroness wasn’t convinced by our awesome, award winning, snag find even though the butcher promised us they were good! And they were gourmet. The Baroness likes Vegemite and she likes cheese, I just don’t think she was convinced about them being married together in a sausage skin casing. She was even dubious when I promised that EVERYONE in Gulgong like them…EVERYONE.

Friend or foe?

So the snags went into the fridge and somehow we totally forgot about popping them on the BBQ that night. The next day we hightailed it back to the city and have wondered about the Cheese and Vegemite Sausages ever since!

I know that it is a bit tragic that a year later The Boy and I were STILL thinking about those bloody sausages.

As we drove away from Sydney last Friday night we fired a barrage of questions at each other. What would they taste like? Would they be gross? We would love them? Would we be able to taste the Vegemite? Would they be oily due to the cheesey innards? Would the weather be sunny enough for a BBQ? Would they still be in The Baroness’s freezer – surely she has kept them for us in the event that I would return one day to weed the garden again?

Sadly (or unsurprisingly really) the sausages weren’t awaiting our return a year later. A reshuffle of fridges and freezers meant that, on a sunny day in Gulgong, the sausages had met an untimely and un-BBQ’d death.

On Saturday morning I quickly volunteered to do a grocery run into town with the ulterior movie of visiting the butcher again. I have to admit that as we drove into Gulgong I was nervous that the Vegemite and Cheese Sausages may have gone the way of the dinosaur. I was desperate to know what they tasted like.

I am pleased to report sausages were happily waiting for us and, after a brief discussion with The Boy about the amount of cheese and vegemiteyness required, we purchased four juicy looking sausages. We threw them on the BBQ pretty much as soon as we got back the farm along with a few 'regular snags'. I was determined not to miss out again!

Straight to the BBQ

As the snags cooked on the BBQ we enjoyed the lovely view and thought how wonderfully different this experience was from our BBQ on the balcony at home.  Over on the BBQ molten cheese oozed out of the sausage skin and became crispy as it hit the BBQs hot plate. Drool.

Oozing cheesy goodness

 Even the chickens were intrigued by the lovely smell and the came to check things out.

Chicken + BBQ = BBQ Chicken! Run away chicken!!

 Finally the long awaiting moment of tasting had arrived.

The Baroness and I agreed to have one snag each and The Boy could have two as he’d be sent off to do proper farm work later on and could thus work off the cheesy calories. I supposed a fairer distribution would’ve been one for each of us and one for the dog! Sorry doggy.

I was expecting cheese to ooze out of the sausage when I bit into it, but it seems that it had either melted into the sausage during the cooking process, or all over the BBQ hot plate.

These sausages were really really tasty and I’m so sad that I only had one. The taste of Vegemite was only apparent every now and then, and not as obvious or as strong as I had thought it would be. The snags did have a saltiness to them that I’ve not noticed in other sausages, as well as tasting rich and meaty.

We had also cooked a ‘regular beef snag’ each so we could do a snag comparison. After eating the yummy, salty, crispy Vegemite and Cheese Sausage we all agreed that regular sausage just didn’t cut it.

The Baroness’ verdict = yum yum yum!

I know Gulgong Butchery do home delivery, but I wonder if they'd come all the way to Sydney for two Vegemite and Cheese Sausage converts.

Yum Yum Bakery, Guildford

Last Sunday I cracked open my Parramatta Dining Guide in the hope of finding a Lebanese Bakery that is not 20kms from my house.

Whilst I love The Valley, it is all the way over in Dulwich Hill and it is just too much of an effort to contemplate on a lazy Sunday.  I'm also fairly sure that asking  The Boy to drive me all that way to indulge a food craving is probably pushing the friendship...just a little.

After a few minutes of perusing the dinning guide I decide that we're off to explore Guildford which seems to have not one, but THREE Lebanese Bakery's. Greedy greedy Guildford.

When we first arrive at Guildford it appears that we're on the "wrong side of the tracks" literally speaking.  Is THIS Guildford?  There's nothing here! Where are all the bakeries and sweet shops I just read about? Why are the few shops all padlocked shut? No wonder The Boy's workmate took his wife and scampered off to a new home in Penrith.

It turns out all the "good stuff" is across the railway line and we've take a wrong turn somewhere along the way.  Oopsie - I take it all back Guildford.

We quickly head on over to the "right side of the tracks" and park the car in the world's biggest public car park.  After a quick stroll up the sleepy streets of Guildford Road we settle on Yum Yum Bakery.

Yum Yum's is a cheap and cheerful kind of place with your standard lino flooring, fluro lighting, and basic cheap cafe chairs and tables.  I have a good feeling about this place.

They are obviously kid-friendly as we have to negotiate three enormous strollers and a veritable minefield of food scraps on the floor as we make our way inside.  Glad I'm not the cleaner here!

After a quick scan of the menu board, which is written in both Lebanese and English (very cool), we quickly settle on the Oregano Pizza ($1.65) as it's a favourite.  The Boy cannot believe it's only $1.65, and he's right. At this price they are practically free.

This pizza is so yummy! Just like the offering from The Valley this Oregano Pizza is a fresh tasting mix of oregano, thyme and sesame seeds on a super thin and crispy base.  It has that same zesty taste that I know and love, but cannot identify as I really don't know much about food truth be told.

Next up is the Keshek Pizza ($5.00). Keskek is a fermented yoghurt and burghol mix that is dried and pulverized into a powder (thanks Mr Google).  I love it! It has that same texture as that Parmesan cheese bread Sizzler's used to make (and yes, I loved that too).

Yum Yum Bakery wins me over 110% when I notice that they offer side dishes to accompany their pizzas.

After eating my own body weight in Tabouli the other night at El Jannah, I know that I need something other than Tabouli as our side option.  The guy behind the counter suggests a plate of Kabis ($4.00).  The Boy and I nod in agreement even though we have no idea what it is!

Our Kabis arrives and it is a colourful plate of pickle vegetables - exactly what I feel like snacking on between pizza slices.

The plate is filled with pickled gherkins, pickled turnip (or it could be radish or even swede, who knows), pickled green chillis, olives and fresh tomato. It's lovely and I'm pleased that the vegies are not too salty.   The turnip/radish/swede is crunchy and has a mild taste that is very moreish.

As we leave Guildford I declare that I've found new Lebanese Bakery to love.  I also declare that I wish I was Lebanese so I would have a Lebanese family to make me this yummy food all the time.

Sorry The Valley, but I'm sure you'll understand.

Yum Yum Bakery is at 273 Guildford Rd, Guildford.

The Boy eats a sad lunch at his desk

This blog originally started as a result of the The Boy and I taking photos of our lunches and sending them to each other.

I think the idea was to make the other person jealous of our yummy lunches.

I normally won the jealously challenge as I work so close to King Street in Newtown. How could my lunch not be superior?  The Boy works in an office complex in the middle of whoop whoop that only has a few places to eat.

Today the boy sends me this sad sad picture of his lunch which comprises of two chicken loaf and processed lite-cheese sandwiches, Samboy Chips and a Coke Zero.  I assume the chips and coke are from the vending machine on his floor.

I thought The Boy was on a bit of a pre-wedding diet, but I guess the Coke Zero counteracts the chips.  Plus, if he eats the chips whilst walking then they'll be basically calorie negative.

Sad sad lunch!

If you've seen my post from yesterday it will be obviously clear that my totally awesome Sushi Suma lunch beats this sad sambo lunch hands down!

Sushi Suma, Surry Hills

After stumbling across my blog being forced to read my blog two of my workmates are keen to accompany me on a lunchtime blogging mission.

Lady Jasmine is dead keen to go out for Japanese as her boyfriend is not a fan so she doesn’t get to indulge that often.

Beati3  recommends Sushi Suma in Surry Hills. She tells Lady Jasmine and I that it has some of the best sushi and sashimi in Sydney.

Being the awesome team player that I agree that Sushi Suma sounds like the place to go.   I ring up to make a booking and am promptly told “no bookings”.  Hmmm….I have a particular dislike for places that don’t take bookings, but that’s another story.

We arrive right on the dot of 12.30 to find a restaurant bursting at the seams with people waiting to get a seat. They’ve only been opened for 30 minutes.

At first I have to wait out on Cleveland Street as I cannot even fit inside to wait with my friends.

Not to worry as I get to take a peak at the uber trendy Beteco as I’m stranded outside…it’s probably the closest I’ll get to this hub of cool yumminess for quiet a while.

I also get a chance to check out the outside of Sushi Suma and take some happy snaps. As I’m snapping away I notice the façade is kind of burnt looking and smells a tad…smoky.

When I finally make it inside Beati3 tells me that Sushi Suma has recently relocated two doors down from their old location due to a fire next to their old premises.

As we wait in line we’re given a menu to mull over and our order is taken before we actually get a seat. 

Whilst we're waiting for a table, we also get to spy on all the yummy food being delivered to a table of young guys sitting right in the entrance way (lucky them). 

We pretty much order by looking at what they’re eating and deciding if it’s what we want – which is a more awesome version of a picture menu in my opinion.  One young chappie tells us that they’ve ordered a bunch of combination meals and are sharing two combination meals between three people as the servings are just so HUGE.

Never ones to pass up good advice my little group of three think the guys are onto something so we put in an order for two combination meals ($14.90) to share between us.

We decide on a sushi and teriyaki beef combination, and a sashimi and tempura combination.  Oh one serve of  Agadashi Tofu for me as I’m a piggy.

The sashimi is first to arrive and it is so lovely and fresh. The salmon practically melts in my mouth.   I have to say it is some of the best salmon sashimi I remember having and I can see why people rave about this place (whilst in the same breath hate the place as you always have to wait for a table).

Next up our boat of Sushi docks at our table.  The little salmon rolls are lovely and it’s a bit of struggle not to gobble up all three of them whilst the others are distracted by the sashimi.

The beef teriyaki is an enormous serving and we absolutely did the right thing by not ordering a combination meal each. The teriyaki sauce is sweet and the meat thinly sliced and tender.  The sweetness of the sauce is  offset by the freshness of the cabbage and carrot that accompanies the meal.

It’s quite a hot day and the Sushi Suma is really crowded. By this stage we are all dying of thirst and despite having asked for some water towards the beginning of the meal none has yet arrived. I grab a passing waitress and beg her for water.  I tell her that I’m DYING and she quickly brings us a bottle of water and three glasses.  As she sets the bottle down she tells me she’s sorry for nearly killing me. 

Apology accepted as the tempura is next up and it is good.  Really really good.

The batter is light, crispy and not in the least bit oily.  We all politely offer each other the tempura prawns as there are only two on the plate.   I’m mindful that my wedding is only a month away, and whilst I want the whole tempura plate to myself I settle for two, or what is three, little pieces of vegetable tempura.

Oddly, since it’s an entrée, the silky smooth Agadashi Tofu is the last dish to arrive.  We actually receive a serve each and are told it is part of the combination meal deal (which also included rice and salty, steaming hot miso soup).  My extra serve only cost $1.60.

I cannot believe that one person could consume all of the food in a Sushi Suma combination meal on their own without bursting their stomach. As it is we didn’t finish everything we ordered.

Sushi Suma is at 421 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills.